When You Wish
by Corey Lin
Summary: With Harry leaving on his quest, Ginny Weasley says a difficult goodbye. Post HBP contains spoilers HPGW with hints of RWHG. Abandoned for now
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters and world don't belong to me

A/N: I used to have a long note here, but managed to erase it. It was mostly just tripe anyway. This is my first foray into writing in the Harry Potter fandom, I hope you enjoy

Chapter One

Early August, 1997

Judging by the mess in the Weasley's garden, Bill and Fleur's wedding had been a successful one. Plates still bearing leftovers of cake and food and glasses with varying levels of glittering multicoloured liquids littered the small round tables surrounding the dance floor. Chairs sat crowded together around several of them, leaving others empty, suggesting that the prior occupants of said chairs had blatantly ignored the suggested seating arrangements and instead moved their chairs around the accommodate their own conversations and gatherings. Fleur had talked Hermione into charming fairies to fly overhead during the reception once it got dark, providing thousands of moving twinkling lights, enveloping the entire garden in an ethereal shimmering light. Slightly above the fairies were great swaths of filmy white tulle and pale gold ribbons, magically enchanted to gently weave in and out of each other, giving the impression of an immense, luxurious tent overhead. Echoes of conversations still floated down from the brightly-lit Burrow and danced across the makeshift tent from the few people still remaining. Everyone had fun; there were no unexpected visitors or bad news to darken the day. Yes, by all standards, the wedding and the party following had been an incredible success.

Harry sat between his best friends and at a table near the edge of the magic roof and watched Ginny flit between the tables gathering abandoned plates and glasses. She was still wearing her pale gold bridesmaid dress and her long red curls were pinned up on the top of her head. Looking at her, Harry thought to himself that she must really love her oldest brother, to actually be wearing the dress where others would be seeing her. The colour really was a good one on her, but the style was much better suited to the other bridesmaid, Fleur's 11year old sister, Gabrielle, than it was to the young woman that Ginny had become. The dress could best be described as poofy; made out of some stiff material that Harry couldn't identify, but could hear it clear across the garden every time Ginny moved. He had to admit to himself though, that even with the atrocious puffy sleeves and big bow on the back, she still looked beautiful enough to make his heart ache every time he looked at her.

On either side of him, Ron and Hermione were bickering. Since this was their preferred method of communicating, Harry tuned it out soon after they started in, this time arguing over Ron's choice of beverages at the party. The summer that just a few days ago seemed to be dragging forever was now as good as over. Remus Lupin had convinced Harry to wait until his birthday to start on his quest for the horcruxes. Not that Lupin knew what they were looking for, only that they were leaving to finish what Harry had started with Dumbledore the prior school term. Harry tuned back into his companion's conversation only to find that they had moved on to arguing over what Hermione had worn to the wedding and whom she had danced with. Harry tuned them out again.

Harry had done as he promised Dumbledore, and spent his obligatory few days at number Four, Privet drive. He wasn't sure what the Dursley's knew of the happenings in the wizard world, or if someone had spoken to them, but when he showed up on the doorstep, two weeks earlier than expected, with Ron and Hermione in tow, the expected outrage and argument never came, much to his surprise. Aunt Petunia even went as far as putting up Hermione in the guestroom, but not another word was said for the week they were there. Dudley was still at Smelting and Uncle Vernon pretended like they didn't exist, even when he caught them in the kitchen fixing meals, or caught sight of Hedwig or Pig zooming in and out with the post. Not a single member of the Dursley family spoke to any of the teens until the day they left, when Harry walked into the kitchen and announced he was leaving for good. Even then it wasn't much, a quick grunt from Uncle Vernon and a reminder from Aunt Petunia that she had done her duty, and that Harry was completely on his own now. He thanked them for their hospitality, and surprised even himself that he actually kept a straight face while doing it.

Raised voices brought his attention back to Ron and Hermione. Apparently Ron mentioned that he wasn't entirely packed for their upcoming departure, and Hermione was lecturing him on it. Taking another sip of his butterbeer, he let his mind wander again. Lupin had pulled out all the stops in convincing Harry not to leave immediately after the funeral. In the end, it was Lupin's promise to accompany Harry to Godric's Hollow that persuaded him to wait until after his birthday to leave on his search. In some ways, Harry was grateful for the short reprieve. After the week in Little Whinging, Harry accompanied Lupin back to London and the place he least wanted to go, number 12 Grimmauld Place. The house was haunted by memories of Sirius, just as he knew it would be. But he needed to be there. With the help of Lupin, they updated the magical protections on the house, making sure that the powerful enchantments recognized him as the rightful owner, and making sure that the house remained a safe haven for any member of the Order who required it. With Harry's promise that he would join them in time for the wedding, Ron and Hermione went back to the Burrow, and Harry remained with Lupin. Together they visited the place where he had lived with his parents, and where they had died. This wasn't the trip for him to go searching for clues and horcruxes, this was the trip for him to spend time with the last remaining Marauder and revel in the memories that Lupin was only too willing to share about Harry's parents and godfather.

And throughout all of this, his thoughts kept straying to Ginny. He knew that he'd made the right decision ending things when he did, and he knew that she understood the reasoning behind it. One thing he didn't count on however, was just how much he actually missed her. They'd spent so much time together, he missed her smile, her downright wicked sense of humour, and just the chance to talk with her. The easy friendship they had developed prior to becoming a couple was missing, and it's absence left a very noticeable hole in his life. He desperately needed the chance to talk to her face to face prior to leaving on his search for the pieces of Voldemort's soul, and ultimately, the evil wizard himself.

He'd returned to the Burrow the prior day, as promised, to find the entire place an insane flurry of activity. He had been looking forward to the chance to chat with Ginny, but he'd barely had a chance to say more than hello to everyone before he was pressed into service. He'd helped de-gnome the garden, helped setup chairs and tables and even been pressed into service helping in the kitchen. His new apparition license was put to good use as he was sent out on multiple errands to pick up forgotten items, to the nearby village to pick up the ribbons that now gracefully danced overhead. He went to Diagon Alley to pick up Bill and Charlie's dress robes from Madam Malkin's. He was sent to Hogsmeade to pick up an extra case of butterbeer. By the time night rolled around and he had fallen into bed completely exhausted, he hadn't even had the time to carry on a proper conversation with Ron or Hermione, let alone Ginny, who, if anything, had been even busier than he had been. In fact, this after party laziness, where he could sit and watch her without her noticing, was the first chance he'd had to relax since he'd shown up the morning before.

He realized that the bickering had stopped, and that his friends were now both staring at him. He looked back and forth between them. "What?"

"Go talk to her." Hermione wasted no words, and Harry didn't even bother to ask whom she was talking about.

Ron chimed in. "She's been pretty upset these last couple of weeks. She's not said much, but she wasn't happy when we showed up without you. And I know she's worried about us leaving tomorrow."

"I'm just surprised that she's not asking to go with us." Hermione looked away from Harry to gaze at Ginny. "She's been pretty quiet these last couple of weeks."

"Yeah, me too" said Ron. "I really expected that she'd be begging to go, or at least plotting to follow us, but she's not. It's strange, not like her at all, you know she always wants to tag along no matter what we're doing. But Hermione is right, you really need to go talk to her."

"I don't know what to say." Hermione shot him an incredulous look. "I know. It doesn't matter what I say, just go talk to her. I'm going." And he did, winding his way through the tables to where she was continuing to collect abandoned dishes. "Do you need some help?"

She apparently hadn't seen him coming, because she jumped when he spoke, dropping the plate she'd had in her hand, which broke. Pulling out his wand, he repaired it, then picked it up and put it in the tub she was using to collect the dishes.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." The moment stretched as they stood awkwardly looking at each other. Finally Harry cleared his throat. "So... Having a good summer so far?" He wanted to take back the inane words the second they left his mouth.

But she did respond. "Not so much. You saw what it's been like around here. Fleur's family showed up a week ago and I thought they were going to keel over in shock when they saw what their daughter was marrying into. They've got loads of money mind you, old money. I wish I knew how to speak French, cause she yelled at them for over an hour and whatever it was that she said, they were completely cowed after that. I was beginning to think she was going to hex them."

"That would have gone over well." Harry lugged the tub to the next table. "But you shouldn't be surprised, I mean she's a really good witch. She did well in the Tri-Wizard tournament, and she managed to win your mum over, that's no small task."

"True. And speaking of Mum, she's on the edge of a nervous breakdown. She's so flipped out about you lot taking off tomorrow, plus with Dumbledore and the school closing, and Dad and Bill and Charlie right in the middle of everything. She's been putting so much time and energy into getting ready for the wedding that she's not been able to dwell on it too much, but now that it's over, I'm really worried about how she's going to handle everything."

"Is it really that bad?" Harry knew that Mrs. Weasley's greatest fear was losing a member of her family.

"Yeah it is." She gathered up a few more glasses, setting them gently in the tub he carried. "I keep catching her staring at that ruddy clock with this look of terror on her face. I want to smash it to bits so bad, but she never actually says anything, she just hovers. The twins get it to some extent, but they're not here often, they're really busy at the shop, so she doesn't get to fuss over them too much. Dad gets it a little. Fleur dotes on Bill so much that Mum doesn't get a chance, so instead, she's constantly after me. I leave for five minutes to go to the loo and she's starting to panic by the time I get back."

"I'm sorry." They moved on to the next table.

"It's not your fault. We all know that you've got to finish whatever it was you and Dumbledore started. It just sucks being the youngest. I'm the only one not of age yet. Add into that being the only girl and I don't have a chance. With the school closed, I don't even get a reprieve in going back to school. And I promised Dad that I wouldn't run off or do anything stupid, so now I'm stuck." She leaned across the table to gather the last of the flatware.

Realization dawned on Harry with her last comment. "Is that why you didn't ask to come with us?"

"Yep. Dad cornered me just a few days after I got home. He said that he knew that even if I was underage, that I'd find some way to tag along with you lot and he asked me not to even try. He's really worried about Mum, she's afraid that if I left too, that the stress would just about kill her. So now we've all got our jobs. Bill and Charlie get to fight, Percy gets to continue to be a prat, Fred and George keep going with their shop, Ron goes off as part of your entourage and I get to stay home and help Mum cook and clean and deal with Fleur. Lucky me."

"I'm sorry."

"Quit apologizing to me. You didn't do this. You didn't force me to say yes to him and agree to stay."

Harry didn't quite know what to say to this. She just seemed so defeated, almost like she'd given up, which was so unlike her. He wanted to apologize again, but that didn't quite seem right either. He put the tub down on the table and turned to her. "Your Mum isn't watching right now. Want to go take a walk?" She nodded, and they turned and headed away from the tables, from the enchanted fairies and dancing fabric overhead.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I did, but I don't. This story however is mine. 

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read chapter one and a special thanks to those of you that took the time to review. Here is chapter two, I meant to get this out last week, but I've been so busy with work and kids and the five dogs currently snoozing on my family room carpet.

When You Wish... Chapter Two

They walked into the shadows without talking, but before they had taken ten steps, Ginny suddenly stopped and pulled her shoes off. Giving Harry an apologetic look, she transferred them both into her left hand and started walking again. They could still hear the echoes of laughter and conversation behind them, but they faded away into nothing but a murmur as they walked.

"Feet hurt?" He asked her, reaching out and taking her free right hand like it was second nature.

She looked surprised, but laughed at his question. "Like you wouldn't believe. Mum must have charmed these half a dozen times trying to get them to fit correctly, but it was no use. I think Fleur picked them specifically to torture me. She must have heard about me calling her Phlegm."

"The dress too?"

"No, the blame for the dress goes directly onto Gabrielle. She loved it, and was so excited I didn't have the heart to tell her no. I figured what's one night out of my life looking like a fluffed up snidget if it made everyone happy. "

"But you're a very cute snidget" He grinned at her. She stuck her tongue out at him before continuing.

"I would have preferred something a little more elegant but as long as everyone else was compromising, I could too. I didn't realize how much it was stressing Bill out to have everyone fighting over everything. And I figured if he was brave enough to deal with what Greyback did, I could at least be brave enough to handle Fleur and her mother and sister. So I smiled and agreed with everything."

"So you don't call her Phlegm anymore?"

Ginny smiled. "She's really not that bad. She loves Bill and makes him happy."

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, climbing a slight grassy rise, which allowed them to overlook the garden and observe the activity still going on. It appeared that Mrs. Weasley had convinced Ron and Hermione to help her clear away the last of the dishes. Ron still sat in his chair, using his wand to levitate the dishes from the table to the washtub that Hermione was lugging between tables. Harry looked at Ginny, a silent question and agreement passing between them, and they sank down into the grass, sitting side by side. Ginny sighed and laid back, staring up at the stars that twinkled above them.

A light shot across the sky, burning brightly before dwindling away to nothing. Ginny turned her head to look at Harry. "Do you ever wish on falling stars?"

He shook his head. "No." He continued to stare straight ahead and the quiet night stretched between them. Finally he spoke. "I never had the chance. I never saw one until I came to Hogwarts."

"You can't be serious."

"Well my little cupboard didn't have much of a view, and I was never really allowed out after dark. I usually got locked in right after cleaning up from dinner. By the time I got to Hogwarts, so many of my wishes had come true, I hated to push my luck."

"I'm sorry" Her voice was little more than a whisper.

"Don't be." It was quiet for another long moment. "You know, sometimes I'm a really late bloomer. Most kids start wishing on stars when they're little. I didn't start until I was fifteen. And even then it wasn't your typical star, it was one in particular."

"Which one?"

He raised his left hand and pointed. "That one."

She looked in the direction he was pointing. "Which one?" she asked again.

"Do you see Orion?" He pointed again to where the constellation lay sideways, low slung in the early August sky. She nodded. "Okay, look a little to the right, under the feet."

Her mind raced as she thought back on numerous astrology lessons. Under Orion's feet, the dogs of Orion, Canis Major. She looked again at the bright star, and it seemed to twinkle at her as understanding dawned. "Sirius." She reached out and took his hand in hers again.

He nodded. "I know it sounds stupid." She gave a murmur of disagreement. "But it really helped a lot when he first died. I mean, I just missed him so much. Still do really. But those first couple of weeks back at the Dursley's last summer, I'd sit in my window and wait for it to rise. Then I felt like I could still talk to him. He couldn't answer me back, but I still felt that connection to him. Even back at Hogwarts, I'd still look for him to rise. And every time I see it, I make a wish."

"And what does Harry Potter wish for?" Ginny asked him quietly.

"I wish that Voldemort was gone for good, so I could live a normal life. I wish I didn't have to deal with all this 'Chosen One' rubbish. I wish that for once I could feel free to love someone without worrying about them being the next one to die."

"Oh Harry" She didn't know what else to say, she knew the burdens he lived under day to day and knew that no stretch of her imagination could tell her how it felt to deal with them. She inched closer to him.

He continued. "I wish I had a little more confidence that I knew what I was doing. I mean, I'm supposed to leave tomorrow, and lead my two best friends off who knows where with no real idea of what I'm supposed to be doing. I wish I could be sure that your family will be safe, and that I'm not putting them in even more danger just by being here." He paused for a second, then so quietly that Ginny had to strain to hear it. "And most of all I wish I could be free to love you without the horrible feeling that I'd be signing your death warrant if I even dare to say the words."

She propped herself up on one elbow to be able to look at him. Slowly she reached out and laid one hand on his cheek, turning his head to have him look back at her. "Harry..." she began, but was interrupted when he sat up suddenly.

He brought his knees up, rested his chin on them, wrapping his arms around his legs, staring straight ahead. "And what does Ginevra Weasley wish for?" He teased her with her words from earlier.

She answered him simply and honestly. "You." He turned to look at her and raised one eyebrow. Feeling a little self-conscious, she laughed. "What can I say. I've got a one track mind." She sat up next to him, pulling her feet in close to her body and wrapping her arms around her legs to mirror his pose. The skirt of her dress rustled noisily. "Don't get me wrong, all the other stuff you said is included in that, but more than anything else, I want to be able to be able to be with you, to love you. I'm not ready to plan out my entire life yet, but I want that option available."

"I wish I could promise that to you." He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She responded by letting her head fall to his shoulder. "I can't tell you that I'll be home soon, I can't say I'm going to write, it would put you in too much danger if it's intercepted. I can't even promise that I will be back someday."

"I don't want you to give me a promise that you can't keep. I just want to know, if, when it's all over, if you are at all capable of coming back, will you?"

"That I can promise you. If I am in any way capable of returning after it's all over, I'll be back here as soon as I can." He turned away from her, staring straight ahead again. "But I can't ask you to wait for me."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

"Ginny, it could be years."

"I don't care. I'll be waiting for however long it takes."

"You're only fifteen, how can you say that."

"Come off it Harry. I'll be sixteen in a little over a week. You don't think I'm old enough to know what I want? And you're a fine one to talk. You only just turned seventeen a couple of days ago and the fate of the entire bloody world rests directly on your shoulders."

"Not exactly your every day run of the mill teenagers are we?" He pulled her closer into his side. "I feel guilty leaving you behind, with no way of getting in touch with you. You need to move forward and live your life."

"I have no life until you come back." He turned to her, one eyebrow raised in question. "That's not what I meant. Well not entirely. I'm not exactly one to sit around all day doing nothing but pining for you. But Hogwarts is closed indefinitely; Mum won't let me out of the house for anything. Everyone's scared and stressed. Until you succeed in killing Voldemort, my life consists of nothing more than trying to keep up on my studies by myself and helping Mum around the house. And it's not just my life Harry, it's everyone's. We are all counting on you."

"I know. And it's so scary knowing that. Like I'm supposed to be this great hero, Harry Potter, the savior of us all. But deep down inside I'm still little scared Harry, being told over and over again that I'm nothing special."

"You are something special." He shook his head at her. "I'm not talking about everyone else, you are something special to me. Maybe I'm just blinded by the fact that I love you, but I believe that you can do anything."

"And everyone else thinks-"

"Screw everyone else!" She jumped to her feet, her eyes flashing at him and her voice rising in anger. "Put all of them out of your head, who cares what they think."

"But they all expect me to be something I'm not."

"I don't. I don't expect you to be anything but yourself. Quit worrying about what some stupid reporter thinks you need to do. I believe in you. Sirius and Dumbledore believed in you. Ron and Hermione will follow you anywhere because they trust you. My parents, Luna, Neville. Should I go on?" He shook his head, stunned by her angry outburst. Her voice softened as she continued. "We all believe in you, not because of some stupid prophesy or that scar on your head, but because we know you."

He didn't know what to say, but instead took her hand and tugged on it, trying to persuade her to sit back down next to him. Once she sat, he pulled her close into him once again.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. Wish I did.

A/N: Wow. It's been a while since I uploaded. But then again it's been a while since I vacuumed too and I'm not sure which one is more important. Real life really stinks sometimes, but it does pay the bills and keep the pups and the kneazle in kibble. Anyway, for some reason I struggled with this chapter, it's more of a transition than anything else, and I've got the rest of the story mapped out (except the ending, I'm kind of waffling on how to wrap it up) so hopefully updates will be a bit more forthcoming. Thanks to everyone who read, and those who reviewed. It's nice to know you are enjoing it.

Chapter 3

It was technically early morning when they made their way back to the Burrow. Bill and Fleur had long since departed, and the last stragglers of guests were winding their way through the front garden gate. Ginny, who was expecting another lecture from her mother on not wandering off, was surprised when she was sent up to bed with nothing more than a kiss on the cheek and a warning that they had a lot of work ahead of them in the morning clearing up. Apparently, it wasn't so much the wandering off, as it was the company she kept in her wanderings, and Harry was apparently sufficient protection for her in her mother's eyes.

The next morning dawned early and bright. Before any other member of the family had risen, Ginny was already hard at work in the kitchen, helping her mother with the mounds of dishes that still littered the house. The wedding had gone off without a hitch, but now that the tension that had accompanied the preparations was over, a deeper, darker anxiety seemed to permeate the household. They all knew that Harry, Ron and Hermione would be leaving soon on their quest for the horcruxes, and eventually to confront Voldemort himself. Ginny had known it was coming, but had, like her mother, tried everything she could think of to put it from her mind. Now that the last of the wedding distractions were over, she couldn't help but dwell on it.

Ginny had finished with the dishes and was helping her mother get breakfast on the table before the other members of the household started stirring. Harry raised an eyebrow at her as he sat bleary-eyed at the table, "You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep." She grinned. "Mainly because Mum was knocking on my door telling me to get up." She slid a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. "She wanted me to help her finish cleaning up."

"Thanks." he said, indicating the plate in front of her. "Can you sit for a minute?" He patted the bench next to him with the hand that wasn't currently reaching for his fork.

"Yeah, give me a second to get the rest of this." She grabbed orange juice and toast and set them on the table before getting her own plate of food and sitting next to him.

Harry looked around at the rest of the table's occupants. Hermione was talking with Mr. Weasley and Ron still looked half asleep. Mrs. Weasley was still standing at the stove, and no one was paying any attention to them at all. "I've got something for you." He set his fork down and dug in his pocket for a moment. "I'm not going to be able to write you, it just won't be safe, for us or for you. I wish I could, but I can't risk more than an occasional letter with no actual information in it."

"I understand." She took a large gulp of her juice. "Really, I do. I can't lie and tell you that it doesn't scare me, not knowing if you lot are okay or not."

"I've actually thought about that. Do you remember our old DA coins?" She nodded. "Well I thought we could use that idea again." He held up his hand, with what appeared to be a Galleon with a hole in the middle dangling from his fist on a fine gold chain looped though the hole. "I used the protean charm on this one, and another one that I'm carrying. Obviously, I can't put much info on here, but I should be able to change the numbers around the outside at least once a day and it'll get warm, then you'll at least know we're okay."

She looked up from the Galleon that was swinging gently at the end of its chain directly into his eyes. All of a sudden a lump formed in her throat making it hard for her to speak. "Thank you." He dipped his head, breaking their eye contact.

"It's nothing." He seemed embarrassed, but held the chain out.

"No, it's not. It's a brilliant idea and at least gives me a little peace of mind." She leaned forward and allowed him to slip it over her head, lifting her hair over the chain. "It's just hard to imagine you all being gone." .

Harry couldn't resist running his hand down the mane of curls that hung thickly to her waist. He had almost forgotten just how soft her hair was, but with a single touch, the memory reasserted itself. "I'm going to miss you."

Afternoon found Ginny leaning against the doorframe of her brother's attic room, watching him fumble around under his bed looking for socks. A half-full knapsack sat on his desk. Hermione sat smugly on top of the bed, her bag having already been packed for two days.

A dusty Ron emerged from under his bed, muttering to himself. "Okay, so there's my socks. I think I'm done packing." Hermione let out a disbelieving little sound. Ron looked slightly offended as he stood and tucked the socks into his bag. "I've got jeans, a couple of T-shirts and jumpers, a couple of robes. Extra trainers. Toothbrush and the like. What else do I need?" He looked down at her.

"A winter cloak for starters. And don't forget your gloves, hat and scarf." Hermione started ticking items off on her fingers.

"It's August! What do I need a winter cloak for?" Ron looked incredulous.

"It's going to be getting cold before too long. It's not like we're going to be back in a week Ron." Her voice started getting louder.

"And what all did you pack?"

"About the same as you for clothes. Plus my winter cloak." This was said rather pointedly. "Ink, quills and parchment for taking notes. An atlas."

"A what?"

"A book of maps. To help us figure out where we are going."

"A book. Why am I not surprised. How many books did you pack?"

The argument got going in earnest now, and Ginny tuned them out as she moved from the doorway to the window, where Harry sat on the sill, stroking Hedwig, who sat on his arm.

"Are you sure you want to take the two of them along?" She pulled Ron's desk chair over and sat on it. "Being stuck listening to the two of them argue constantly could drive you absolutely mad."

"Naw, I'm used to it by now." She raised an eyebrow and he laughed. "Okay, so I've just gotten really good at tuning them out. Plus, I'm of age now and I know a really good silencing charm."

"I think you'll get a lot of practice at that one." She grinned wickedly and dropped her voice so only he could hear her. "Personally, I wish they'd just snog each other and get it over with. Maybe if they find some other use for their mouths, then they'd quit arguing all the time."

Harry let out a bark of laughter. "You and me both." He cleared his throat nervously. "I have a favour to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could keep Hedwig for me."

"You're not taking her with you?"

"I would love to, but she draws so much attention. There are so few snowy owls around that she's really kind of obvious at times, and most people know she belongs to me." His eyes drifted from Ginny to the owl as she shifted from his arm to the sill next to him. "I'd hate to think of her being attacked, or somehow followed and bringing attention to us. So we're taking Pig. He's not as conspicuous."

Ginny gave a quick glance at the tiny owl who was perched on the top of the wardrobe shredding a Daily Prophet. "He's not as well behaved either."

"True." Harry grinned at Pigwidgeon's antics before turning back to Ginny. "So you don't mind keeping her?"

"Of course not. She's not going to be happy, but then again, neither will I. I suppose we can keep each other company. Crookshanks too."

Harry was surprised. "You're keeping Crookshanks? I thought Hermione was going to leave him with her parents."

"No, he's staying here. I'm not sure why, she just asked and I told her as long as he doesn't eat Arnold, I'll be more than happy to keep him."

"It's going to be quite the zoo around here."

"You aren't kidding. And you don't even know the worst of it."

"The worst of it?"

"Fang."

"Hagrid's Fang?"

"How many Fang's do you know?" She laughed. "Of course it's Hagrid's Fang. He asked me last night. Apparently he's going off somewhere on some mission for Professor Lupin where he can't take Fang with him. He said that normally he'd leave him at Hogwarts, but with the fire in the cabin and everything, he asked if we could keep him here. I told him yes, so here I am, Ginny Weasley, petminder extraordinare." Her voice was harsh and she turned away from him.

"Don't sound like that. What you're doing is important." He shifted to sit on Ron's desk, just a scant few inches away from her. "I know you wish you could go with us, but don't put down what you are doing. I can't speak for Hermione or Hagrid, but I know that I appreciate knowing that I won't have to worry about Hedwig while I'm gone."

"I just wish I could do more."

He moved his hand to rub reassuringly up and down her arm. "I know you do."

They were quiet for a moment, then Ginny spoke. "Promise me you'll be careful?"

"I'll do my best."

She smiled. "You always do."

Ginny opened her eyes, instantly awake. She noticed the small wrapped box sitting on her bedside table at the same time she heard the quiet footsteps heading in the direction of her door. She swore she could still feel the warmth of his hand where it must have ghosted over her cheek. Her bedroom door closed with a nearly imperceptible click and she let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She suddenly realized what the appearance of her birthday present in her room two days before her birthday meant. They were leaving. The thin gray light fighting its way through the window told her just how very early in the morning it was, and she couldn't blame them for trying to sneak out early, before the rest of the family awoke. Before they had to deal with a nearly hysterical with worry Mrs. Weasley. Before the sad, but resigned looks of Mr. Weasley and slightly envious looks of the twins could watch them over another breakfast table, her brother, one of her best friends, and the boy that she now knew without a doubt that she loved were leaving without a proper goodbye. Without a single thought, she propelled herself out of bed, and grabbed her dressing gown as she headed for the doorway herself.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were almost to the front gate when the heard the door to the Burrow open and shut. Ginny was flying down the front steps, her flaming curls streaming behind her along with her hastily donned dressing gown that she hadn't bothered to tie. Her feet were bare and her pale legs gleamed in the weak morning light under the hem of her nightgown. Harry turned and met her halfway across the front garden, where she flung herself into his arms. "I couldn't let you leave without telling you goodbye."

"We thought it would be easier to leave without all the fuss with your parents and all."

"I know. But then I woke up and knew you were leaving, and this might be the last chance I get to tell you this." And with that, she wrapped her arms around his neck, whispered in his ear, "I love you" and drug his unresisting head down until their lips met.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still not my characters or world.

A/N: Wow. I barely get two chapters posted in a little over two months, and now I'm posting my second in just under four days. This chapter was the easiest one I've written, it' the one that was in my head when I first started this, and the one that just kept nagging at me until I started putting it on paper.

Thanks so much to everyone who has read and an even bigger thanks to those who reviewed. I hardly know what to say, but I just wanted to say that I am going to finish this, it will be more than just these four chapters, I've got five more planned, and I think that will finish it nicely. I do have a couple of other things in the works, a few slightly rabid plot bunnies that haunt my dreams and stalk me while I work, so forgive me if I take the occasional sidetrip before finishing this.

And one more thing, I'm finding myself in desperate need of a beta, so if anyone out there is willing to play comma killer for me and help me keep my tenses straight (when I can hardly even keep my head on straight) I would be eternally grateful to them.

Chapter Four

Late October, 1999

Ginny sighed as she finally found a chance to sit at the window in the bedroom she had claimed as her own in this hated house. She had been appalled by Grimmauld place the first time she saw it, the summer before her fourth year at Hogwarts. She'd hated it even more that Christmas when they'd been sequestered here while her father was in hospital. She didn't think it was possible to loathe it any more than she had that June night more than a year ago when she'd fled the burning remains of the Burrow through the floo, death and destruction at her back, choking on the smoke with a slightly singed Crookshanks at her feet and the precious tiny bundles of her infant nephews clutched tightly in her arms. She was wrong. Seventeen long months in this house made her hate it more than she had ever thought possible. She and her mother had worked tirelessly, trying to make the house inhabitable, drawing her memories back to that first fateful summer spent there.

The house had definitely changed since then, much of the strange objects and the grime gone. There was evidence of attempts to give the house a lighter feel, many of the heavy silver serpent adorned fixtures had been replaced with much simpler ones. Light had been added, brightening the dank basement kitchen and the other rooms, but somehow, something of the darkness of spirit still remained. A few of the occupants of the house swore that it was haunted, and in a sense, Ginny had to agree. For her, it would have almost have been easier to see actual ghosts wandering up and down the stairways and long halls, instead of the ghosts of memories that haunted her own mind. Everywhere she turned, she saw things that reminded her of Harry or Ron and she missed them desperately. She remembered Sirius roaming the halls and she sympathized with Harry and his utter reluctance to come back here, she certainly wished she could leave this place and never return. But number 12 Grimmauld place offered safety that couldn't be guaranteed anywhere else, and with the responsibilities she had taken on as the war had progressed, safety and security, no matter how uncomfortable it might be, was paramount.

Every night since Harry had left, she had made a habit of stargazing. Like every Hogwarts student, she'd taken astronomy and was well aquatinted with the celestial objects that moved above her, but until that one precious summer evening, on the night of her brother's wedding when she and Harry had sat on that grassy knoll and he'd revealed to her how he looked to the dog star as a link to his dead godfather, she'd never put much store in that knowledge. In the first few horrid days after he and Ron and Hermione had left, she could hardly wait for the sun to go down and the stars to rise, before she headed outside to lay on her back in the garden. She'd stare up into the sky, knowing deep inside when she gazed upon this star that he was somewhere doing the same, and the ache of missing him eased just a little. When they'd been forced to flee to London, she'd chosen this room over the one she'd stayed on her previous visits for the sole reason of its window that looked to the east, and she could see Orion from it year round, and for those hopeful nine months of the year that it was visible, Canis Major along with it. She'd slept in the room for weeks before she realized that it was the same room that Harry and Ron had shared when they stayed there. Almost a year and a half later, it had changed little, making it one of the few rooms in the house that hadn't. It still had the same dingy walls, the same picture of Phineas Nigellus residing on the wall, observing her, questioning her and seemingly making an effort to annoy Ginny whenever possible.

In the months following her unexpected occupation of the room, Phineas had been willing to chime in with a snarky comment at the most inopportune time. He was quick to notice Ginny's nightly vigil at the window, and was more than willing to point out to her that he considered her talking to the star as if were Harry was the first sign of insanity. Ginny wasn't sure if he had gotten bored with baiting her, if she'd gotten better at ignoring him, or if the two of them had just gotten used to each other.

Thankfully, the occupant of the portrait was absent tonight, leaving the tired young woman alone in the semi-darkness. Her exhaustion was evident in her face and her posture as she perched on the window sill, opening the window to the cool night air. She yawned as she leaned against the edge of the window, finally relaxing for the first time today. She was so tired she felt as if she could fall asleep in seconds, but she had this one nightly ritual to complete first. It was late, and for the first time in days the sky was free of clouds, allowing the waning moon and the stars to be seen. Ginny still marveled at how much different the stars seemed in London than they had in the relative seclusion of Ottery St. Catchpole or the utter darkness that had surrounded Hogwarts. Here they were duller, almost smudged with the stain of city air. The bright twinkles she had always known growing up were now feeble as they struggled to make themselves known though all the ambient light of the city, the fainter stars failing in their attempt. Still, Ginny looked hopefully to the sky as she sat, searching for the brightest of the remaining. It didn't take her long, a little over two years of searching for the same star every evening gave her an advantage when it came to finding it. There it was, brighter than the surrounding stars, and even after all this time, it made her heart jump to see it. Somewhere deep inside, was that last little tremor of hope, that somewhere Harry was looking up and seeing Sirius twinkling above him, and thinking of her. It was much easier to hope now than during those three long summer months when the star disappeared below the horizon, completely lost from sight.

But tonight there was hope. If hope was all she had, hope she would cling to. She loved him, and even as hard as it was to keep that love strong and fresh, even with everything she saw and felt and heard as the war raged around them, she never lost faith in him. Tonight Sirius twinkled brighter than any other star in the sky and Ginny's heart warmed to the sight. She reached into her robes and her hand closed around the galleon that hung on a chain around her neck as she whispered an unheard greeting to the night sky. News from Harry was sparse through traditional means. In the two years since he had been gone, she'd received exactly three letters. All were short and had precious little actual news, instead they were full of nothing but meaningless chatter and vague reminisces, however they were treasured as if they contained the secrets of the universe. Not once however, did they contain any news.

Ginny had found this not knowing harder than anything else. Thanks to the coin hanging around her neck, she was reassured at least once a day that he was at least alive and capable of doing magic. But she knew that between alive and functioning, and safe and happy, there was a vast array of possible scenarios, and despite her attempts to ignore her own mind, her imagination provided her with enough thoughts and fears to keep her on edge. The appearance six months ago of an unconscious Hermione in the lobby of St. Mungo's did little to assuage her worry. No one knew how she had come to appear there, sporting multiple broken bones, several deep cuts, large burned patches and evidence of some seriously nasty curses thrown her way. Even Hermione herself, during her long recovery had been unable to tell them how she had arrived there.

Upon her release from St. Mungo's, Hermione had refused her parent's request to join them at her childhood home, and had instead taken residence with the Weasley's at Grimmauld place, where she spent several evenings giving carefully edited versions of the exploits of Ron, Harry and herself to the various members of the order as they made their way through. Ginny was fairly sure that only herself, her father, Lupin and McGonagall had heard anything resembling the full story, although she was realistic enough to realize that even this version had large gaps that wouldn't be filled in until Harry either succeeded or failed in his mission.

Hermione told them of the discovery of Hufflepuff's cup, buried deep within the orphanage where Tom Riddle had been born and spent his childhood, surrounded by nearly undetectable magical protections. She told them of the strange meeting with the barman at the Hog's Head that resulted in the acquisition of the locket that had evaded them for so long. They were all slightly shocked to realize that many of them had not only seen the horcrux during the initial purge of the Black home, but that many of them had actually attempted to open it, and shuddered at the thought of what the consequences would have been had they actually succeeded.

Ginny was thrilled to hear Hermione talk about how close she felt they actually were to the fifth horcrux prior to her injuries in a fight with a group of death eaters intent on delivering Harry to Voldemort. Hermione refused to reveal specifics as to what the trio had suspected the horcrux was, or even a general idea as to where it was located, but no one could blame her for her secrecy. They all understood what was at stake, and if Hermione felt that Ron and Harry would be safer if Hermione said nothing even to their family, then so be it. For Ginny, in her more hopeful moods, days when the gold coin around her neck would grow warm against her skin and the numbers around the edges would change to the current date, nights when Sirius was glowing brightly in the sky, she would confidently remark that they would hear all about it when Harry and Ron returned.

And return they would, she kept telling herself that much she could at least count on. After all, he was the boy-who-lived. The chosen one. Great storytime heroes didn't die after all, they came home triumphant and married the girl and lived happily ever after. Right?


End file.
